DID YOU SEE WHAT SALEH AND THE 49ERS DID?

By STEVE KING

It should be noted that San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s guys were spectacular – once again – on Sunday.

For the second time in two months, they throttled quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers offense, this time as the host 49ers punched their ticket to the Super Bowl with a 37-20 victory in the NFC Championship Game.

Don’t be fooled by the score, for the game wasn’t nearly that close. The 49ers roared to a 27-0 halftime league and kicked it into cruise control for the rest of the way.

The 49ers also pounded Rodgers and the Packers 37-8 in November.

In addition, the 49ers crushed the Minnesota Vikings 27-10 in a divisional-round playoff game a week and a half ago. Quarterback Kirk Cousins and the Vikings offense could do absolutely nothing.

The Browns picked Minnesota offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski over Saleh – they were the two finalists – for their head-coaching position. They almost selected Stefanski last year but, with then General Manager John Dorsey calling the shots, they opted instead for Freddie Kitchens.

Perhaps the Browns were wrong then – they likely were — and will be proven right this time with Stefanski. He is supposed to be great with quarterbacks, and the Browns’ Baker Mayfield needs someone to help him get back on track after a tough sophomore season. In the end, that was the biggest reason why Stefanski got the job, for the Browns are going nowhere without a great bounce-back from Mayfield.

But at the same time, Saleh is an impressive guy and his defense is quickly becoming the dominant story of the playoffs. Without that defense, the 49ers would not be in the Super Bowl. They also would not even have won the NFC West and secured home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

As such, you can’t help but to wonder how Saleh would have done with the Browns. That wonderment will be even greater if Stefanski fails in Cleveland.